Page 86 of Worth the Try
A swoop of giddy anticipation sweeps through me. “I am,” I confirm.
“She looks pretty in it, too,” Rosie says.
“Of course she does,” Kari agrees, squeezing me to her. Lowering her voice, she asks, “Has he seen you in this, though?”
“No,” I confirm.
She waggles her eyes. “Good luck not being late, then.”
I shove her playfully and turn my attention back to the game.
“But listen,” she says, her voice growing serious. “This gala is a big deal. Lots of press. Red carpet. The whole thing.”
I knew where she was going with this. “I’m ready,” I promise, then wink at her. “The team’s PR person made sure I had my talking points down pat.”
“You better,” she warns. “Or my boss will have my head.”
The game is close, and in the end, the Granite beat the Free Jacks by a mere five points. Kari warned me it could be another hour before Ansel finally got to leave, but time flies, thanks toRosie running me all around the stadium and saying hello to all the vendors.
“You know, for someone who’s only five years old, you sure know a lot of people,” I tell her after we’ve waved to yet another person.
She shrugs. “I like knowing everyone.”
I can’t help the laugh that escapes, and I pull her up into my arms for a kiss. “I love you, you know that, Rosie bug?”
She wraps around me and squeezes. “I love you, too, Elle Belle.”
We make our way back up to the second floor of the stadium, going into the air conditioning and heading for the private area reserved for friends and family. It’s emptying out pretty steadily, but Allyson’s still there.
“When are you sending me the next round of ideas for review?” Allyson asks by way of greeting.
“Two more days,” I answer. “I’m waiting on a travel company to get back to me about some logistics that I know you’ll want details of, and then you’ll have the final package ready for sign-off.”
She squeals. “I’m so excited! Jake is going to lose his mind when I tell him what we’re doing.”
“I can’t believe you’re keeping it a secret.” They were going to visit the Arctic, for heaven’s sake.
“He wanted to be surprised,” she says with a wave of her hand. “Not my problem. I’ll make sure he’s got the right gear, though.”
“Daddy!” Rosie’s voice clangs through the room as I turn to see Ansel.
He’s showered, back in the coach’s gear he left the house in this morning: black pants that are tight against his thighs and rear, and a dark teal polo shirt that strains against his muscles. I swear that Kari deliberately got him the tighter-fitting styles,because the previous coach did not look as delectable as this. In fact, no one can possibly look as good as Ansel does.
As he leans down to pick his daughter up, his eyes land on me, darkening immediately.
Allyson laughs. “Ooh, girl. Someone’s getting some tonight,” she says under her breath before winking at me and shooing me toward him. “See you at the gala.”
I make my way to Ansel, who leans in to kiss my cheek. Then he growls, “Where did this come from?”
I glance innocently down at my shirt. “What, this old thing?” I’d taken one of his jerseys and turned it into a crop top, then cut the neck so that it draped off my shoulder. On the back, I’d bedazzled his name and number. I twirl around. “Do you like it?”
A breath saws out of him. “Yes.” His voice is low, and his eyes sweep me from head to toe in a promise of everything he intends to do to me later.
Chapter 30
Elodie
We’re almost late to the gala, and I put the blame solely on Ansel. The man had me against our bedroom wall in nothing but the jersey the second Sharon retrieved Rosalie. And he kept me there, feasting on me, until I’d come from his mouth and then on his cock. When we got in the shower, it was my turn, backing him onto the in-shower seat and kissing those gorgeous thighs, then licking my way to the proud cock jutting between them. Then he pulled me up and turned me around, practically impaling himself on me as I rode him, my own thighs shaking with the effort.
